Sod roll forming machine



Jan. 22, 1957 c. KAVAN SOD ROLL FORMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 8, 1953 FIG.I.

IN VEN TOR.

CHAR LES KAVAN Jan. 22, 1957 c. KAVAN son ROLL FORMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8, 1953 .zrozmlgv jja zzzmz'mmmmez INVENTOR.

C HARLES KAVAN ATTORNEY Q Jan. 22, 1957 c. KAVAN SOD ROLL FORMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 8, 1953 INVENTOR.

CHARLES KAVAN SOD ROLL FDRMING MACHINE Charles Kavan, DetroigMich. AppllcationJuly 8, 1953,.SeriatNo. 366,748

1- Claim. (Clr 97-226) This invention relates to sod. roll forming machines for imparting to a length of sodarolled form convenient for handling and transportation.

An object of the invention is to provide a wheeled machine adapted to travel above and along a strip of previously loosened sod, to equip such machine with a cutter for severing the strip into lengths suited to roll forming, and to provide an improved operating means for such cutter.

Another object is to associate with said cutter a roller adapted to abut a sod roll during its formation, and to drive such roller in a direction inducing the desired rol l formation.

Another object is to adapt said cutter and roller to be raised and lowered in unison so that they may be carried over a completed sod roll by forward travel of the machine and may then again engage a sod strip.

Another object is to equip a machine of the described character with a front frame permanently elevated on ground wheels, and a trailing frame pivoted to the front frame for up and down swinging actuation, said cutter and roller being installed on the rear end portion of the trailing frame.

Another object is to mount a motor on the front frame and establish a suitable drive from such motor to the ground wheels and said roller.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is atop plan view of my improved machine.

Fig. 2 is a view of the right-hand side of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a view of the left-hand side of the machine.

Fig. 4 shows the machine in front elevation.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, primarily showing a sod cutter and associated roller.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1, showing the cutter and said roller as positioned at the moment of severing a sod strip.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1 showing the initial form of a sod roll as jointly established by said cutter and roller.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a sod roll comprising several initial convolutions.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates a horizontally elongated front frame mounted approximately midway of its length on an axle 2 equipped with ground wheels 3. Rigidly carried by said frame are uprights 4 surmounted by a platform 5 on which is installed a motor 6 preferably of an internal combustion type. The shaft 7 of such motor carries a pulley 8 having driving engagement with a belt 9 driving a pulley 10 fixed on a countershaft 11 journaled on said frame rearwardly of the wheels. The axle 2 is driven from said countershaft through a chain 12 and sprocket wheels 13 and 14. On the rear end of the frame 1 is journaled a second countershaft 15 driven through gears 16 and 16a from the shaft 11 Swung on the shaft 15 and extending rearwardly and Patented Jan. 22, 1957 downwardly therefrom is a trailing frame 17 having a roller 18 journaledon its rear'end transversely of the ma chine. Said roller, asshown, is longitudinally corrugated for a purpose-hereinafter explained. A belt 19 transmits a drivefrom the shaft 15' to said roller, such belt engaging, driving and driven pulleys 20 and 21, the direction of roilerrotation being-reverse to that of the wheels. Closely adjacent to said roller there is installed a cutter comprising an elongated blade 22 substantially coextensive with the roller and a pair of arms 23 rigidly upstanding from the blade extremities and secured respectively'to the respective sidebars of the frame 17. The purpose of such cutter is to transversely sever an elongated strip 23a of sod which, prior to use of my improved machine, was cut to a suitable width and depth and which was also undercut, as appears at 23b; tosever it from underlying earth. The-blade has a slight forward inclination from its upper edge to its cutting edge so that it tends through forward travel of the machine to progressively deflect the strip 23a upwardly in advancing beneath such strip. The blade preferably underlies the front portion of the roller so that the severed sod strip, in riding over the blade, will so encounter the roller (Fig. 7) as to initiate formation of a sod roll 24. For raising and lowering the trailing frame, an arched bridle 25 interconnects the upper ends of the arms 23 and a link rod 25a extends upwardly from said bridle to a control lever 26. The mid portion of said lever is pivoted on a cross rod 27 carried by a pair of elongated handle bars 28 extending rearwardly from the main frame at an upward inclination. Braces 29 extend to the mid portions of the handle bars from the rear end of the main frame, materially increasing rigidity of the construction. Upon one of the handle bars is also pivoted a short lever 30 connected by a link rod 31 to an arm 32 pivoted on one of the uprights 4, such arm journaling a small idler pulley 33 serving to impose a driving tension on the belt 9 in one position of the lever 30. In another position of said lever (Fig. 3) the belt is largely relieved of tension and ceases to transmit a drive. Thus the parts 30-33 derive the function of a clutch in a very simple manner. It is preferred to mount a pair of runners 34 on the main frame in a trailing relation thereto, such runners primarily serving to limit downward swinging of the two frames at their juncture and thus avoiding material ground contact of the roller 18 and consequent braking eifect on such roller.

In use of the described machine, its operator walks behind the machine grasping the handle bars 28 to control the direction of travel, and manipulating the levers 26 and 30 when necessary. Since weight of the machine is largely carried by the ground wheels, the handle bars readily serve to vary the direction of travel. Starting at one end of a previously formed and loosened strip 23a, the machine is driven along such strip, after disposing the cutter to transversely sever the strip. As the blade 22 travels forward beneath the strip, the latter is upwardly deflected to encounter the roller which applies an upward drive while forwardly deflecting the strip extremity. After an initial convolution of the strip is thus formed, the roller continuously rotates the partially formed sod roll, advancing such roll upon the strip until it has acquired a desired diameter. The operator then momentarily establishes the raised position of the trailing frame 17, allowing the roller 18 and blade 22 to advance above the completed sod roll. The lever 26 is then released, allowing the trailing frame to drop of its own weight. The blade 22 thus again severs the strip slightly ahead of the formed sod roll, initiating formation of another roll. Penetration of the strip by the blade is limited by the roller 18, such penetration thus being substantially a constant. The few inches of sod forwardly projecting from each roll, as

' page. Some slippage will of course occur, however, since I rotational velocity of the roller is substantially a constant, whereas the sod roll must decrease in rotational velocity as its diameter increases. Formation of the rolls by applying a rotary drive thereto is essential in obtaining tightly wound and highly compact rolls such as will occupy a minimum space in a truck.

What I claim is:

p In a sod roll forming machine, a frame and ground wheels mounting such frame, an auxiliary frame, means mounting the auxiliary frame for up and down. travel on i the main frame, a sod cutter mounted on the auxiliary L frame and comprising a blade elongated transversely of the machine and inclined forwardly toward its cutting edge, a roller journaled on the auxiliary frame rearwardly of said blade and having at least its major portion disposed above and to the rear of said blade and having the forward portion of its periphery adjacent to the vertical plane containing said cutting edge, whereby said roller is engaged by a llength of sod severed and upwardly deflected by the blade, means for rotatively driving the roller in a direction to impel it upwardly past the blade, and means for manually raising and lowering said auxiliary frame to permit an advance of the blade and roller above a formed sod roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain of 1884 

